Retail banks often claim that sophisticated “data mining” tools allow them to leverage their investments in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to identity potential fee-paying customers. These people are then inundated with direct marketing materials and unsolicited phone calls and e-mails.
In the early stages of the development of credit cards some US banks did not wait for customers to apply for credit cards but simply mailed them credit cards with a pre-approved credit limit. This practice was subsequently made illegal by legislators concerned about the impact on consumer indebtedness.